I know it's Wednesday morning at 6:30 am (yes, WHY am I up so early??) and I was going to do this yesterday, but didn't get to it.
10 randon thoughts on Tuesday
1. This last weekend we were gone camping at Mahoney. We were there with my brother and his kids, so my girls had somebody to play with the entire weekend, but the best part was staying Sunday night. We went around and gathered all the leftover firewood (thanks Shawn!) and made ourselves a fire. There were only 4 other campers left in our section and we sat outside by the fire by the longest time!! It was so quiet and peaceful! Megan was able to see the stars, unlike in Omaha. It was so hard to go to bed.
2. Matt went to Fremont last night to get a campsite for this upcoming Labor Day weekend. He got the very last campsite available! Seriously, it's Tuesday and the park is filled up. We have to pay 3 extra days to stay there for 3 days. It's not the best spot, but it will work. We need to get better about reserving campsites for next year.
3. This weekend is our only opportunity to get the jetski out for the summer. We'll see if that happens. Matt says if we don't use it, he might sell it.
4. We're still moving along on homeschooling. The last two days I haven't started "school" until about 4:30 pm! Yikes! We're still working at 6 pm, I need to get better at starting earlier!
5. Megan is still "getting bored" at school and after about 20 minutes, she doesn't want to sit anymore and I start to get "bad attitude." I need to figure out a plan. Matt says she just has to get used to it. We're still doing half day's worth of lessons, next week we're doing everything in one day. I'm going to try to do some in the morning and then finish in the afternoon.
6. Courtney has preschool orientation tomorrow for preschool. Oh how I want to keep her home, BUT I think preschool will do her a world of good! It will give me a chance to get some school done in the morning with Megan and let her build her confidence- a lot! She starts next Wednesday morning.
7. Last spring, I signed up for MOPS at a local church, but really, I don't want to do it this year. They don't provide childcare for Megan plus I don't really need the time to myself like I did last year. I have a very pricey gym membership. How do I bow out gracefully (and not lose too much money)??
8. Matt and I were talking the other night how everybody could make things easier for me around the house. I think everybody can pitch in and help clean the house up at the end of the day. With homeschooling, I'm going to be losing 3-4 hours a day that I would usually spend on the house. One daily chore that I need to do is dishes. Matt's theory- use paper plates! I hate paper plates, but it might an option. Honestly, I'm more worried about everything that is all over the floor and stuff that covers my island and counters by the end of the day. Where does all this stuff come from?
9. AWANA is starting next week! The girls are excited. Matt and I usually help. For the last two years, I have helped in Megan's program, which is Sparks, and Matt has helped with Courtney's, which is Cubbies. Well, I think we should switch this year. I need Megan to do something independently and I would like some time one-on-one with Courtney. Except the girls do not like this idea at all! I'm not sure what to do!
10. This is the end of my list. Christian is awake now, but my rule is that I don't get him until 7 am. The girls didn't go to sleep until 10:30 last night. Can I have at least 9 hours off??
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Success!
Today, I think we did it. We got through our homeschooling material without any fights, complaints, or tears from anybody!
We got out this morning and were home by 11:45. Christian fell asleep in the car, so I took his carseat up to his room to sleep. During that time, I got lunch ready. By 12:30 Christian was awake, but wasn't so upset today. Which is good comparing he only slept about 45 minutes.
Since he was happy when he woke up, I put him in his chair to eat and told Megan we were going to start with her schoolwork. She cooperated, Christian cooperated and we got stuff accomplished. Courtney ran upstairs to play by herself, so she had herself occupied. About an hour into it, I could tell she needed a break, so I called recess! The other two were begging to go outside, so we did. I let them all play for about 15 minutes then I had planned on taking Megan and Christian back inside to finish up school for the day.
Then it dawned on me, why don't we bring school outside and let the younger two continue to play? Who says we have to do it by the kitchen table? (But keeping the books and supplies in the kitchen has helped tremendously!) So I brought the books we were working on outside and finished up everything. It worked out great. Today was a success! Will tomorrow be one too?
We got out this morning and were home by 11:45. Christian fell asleep in the car, so I took his carseat up to his room to sleep. During that time, I got lunch ready. By 12:30 Christian was awake, but wasn't so upset today. Which is good comparing he only slept about 45 minutes.
Since he was happy when he woke up, I put him in his chair to eat and told Megan we were going to start with her schoolwork. She cooperated, Christian cooperated and we got stuff accomplished. Courtney ran upstairs to play by herself, so she had herself occupied. About an hour into it, I could tell she needed a break, so I called recess! The other two were begging to go outside, so we did. I let them all play for about 15 minutes then I had planned on taking Megan and Christian back inside to finish up school for the day.
Then it dawned on me, why don't we bring school outside and let the younger two continue to play? Who says we have to do it by the kitchen table? (But keeping the books and supplies in the kitchen has helped tremendously!) So I brought the books we were working on outside and finished up everything. It worked out great. Today was a success! Will tomorrow be one too?
Gym Membership
Last May, I joined Prarie Life Fitness for a number of reasons.
1. I was going to spend $200 on private swimming lessons for the girls, but to join the gym for two months was $240, which included a session of free swimming lessons.
2. I am/ have been having lots of issues with my pelvic floor and anxiety, so I thought some excercise would help me out.
3. Childcare. With my membership, I get 3 hours a day of childcare, per kid. I thought this would help with some anxiety issues for me. They offered all kinds of kids classes this summer. Courtney often took scooters, tumbling, crafts, and Megan took dance there all summer. They would also get to go to the gym and play with hula hoops, balls, etc.
4. Unlimited access to the indoor and outdoor pools. I intended to go swimming a lot last summer but it was going to cost us about $10 for all 4 of us to get in. For the gym membership fee, I could go whenever I wanted. We went there a lot! It worked out great because Christian didn't always like to swim or it was too hot, so I would put him in childcare.
So because of this gym membership, it did cost me $120 a month, which is a lot of money. But for the summer, I could justify it because we used the pool so much. Now I'm enjoying it and don't want to give it up for the fall. I talked with Matt and we decided that I could use some of my piano money for my gym membership. I thought that was fair. He always tells me to find something I enjoy and spend my money on myself. I enjoy exercising and swimming, so I agreed!
I earned $60 a month teaching piano lessons and that covered my membership. The kids were another $60. So, we were good to go...Until I learned that my piano student will not be taking lessons past August. :( She was one of the best students I have had, but due to scheduling, they weren't able to make it work out anymore.
So my next thought was that I can go back and substitute teach. Then I could earn the whole gym membership fee amount in one day. I haven't subbed in two years and the lady at the subdesk at OPS was not happy about that when I talked to her last spring. Last fall (2010), I got a letter in the mail that if you did not sub 3 times per semester for that school year, your name would be deactivated off the sub list, which I thought was fair. I didn't really have a desire to sub last year. I was nursing a baby and had other kids to chase. So I thought I would be taken off in May.
In the spring, I talked to the sub desk's assistant and she asked if I would like to stay on for the fall and I said yes! Then about a month later, I talked to the lady who runs the sub desk and she said "You haven't subbed for two years. I don't have time to deal with you. I have people who will sub for me everyday." After some hesitation, she agreed to give me one last chance until December, so all summer, I had assumed I was on the list yet. (Apparently these two ladies never communicated either!)
I emailed this lady yesterday because I am ready to sub again and she informs me that I have been deactivated from the sub list! In her email she wrote that they had tried to contact me, but due to no response, they kicked me off! What??? And therefore, I would need to reapply to get back on! I wrote her an email back and said, "No, I talked to you and you said I was going to stay on." I never heard back from her. I think she told me I could stay on, didn't make a note of it, then took me off. Kind of makes me mad.
So, no piano lessons and no sub jobs. Honestly, I wish there was a quick sort of way to make money to help pay for the gym membership. But I also feel so overwhelmed this fall, that I don't want to pick anything else up. Heck, I'm going to be homeschooling for 3-4 hours a day, plus taking care of the other kids and the housework. The gym does me a world of good, but it isn't cheap.
I guess could pick up another piano student or I could reapply to sub, maybe Millard would actually hire me. Or maybe I could go give platelets- haha, I don't have any of those. Maybe I could be a food tester, maybe I could consign a whole bunch of clothes and make some money. maybe I could teach somebody else's kids along with mine...maybe the possibilities are endless...
1. I was going to spend $200 on private swimming lessons for the girls, but to join the gym for two months was $240, which included a session of free swimming lessons.
2. I am/ have been having lots of issues with my pelvic floor and anxiety, so I thought some excercise would help me out.
3. Childcare. With my membership, I get 3 hours a day of childcare, per kid. I thought this would help with some anxiety issues for me. They offered all kinds of kids classes this summer. Courtney often took scooters, tumbling, crafts, and Megan took dance there all summer. They would also get to go to the gym and play with hula hoops, balls, etc.
4. Unlimited access to the indoor and outdoor pools. I intended to go swimming a lot last summer but it was going to cost us about $10 for all 4 of us to get in. For the gym membership fee, I could go whenever I wanted. We went there a lot! It worked out great because Christian didn't always like to swim or it was too hot, so I would put him in childcare.
So because of this gym membership, it did cost me $120 a month, which is a lot of money. But for the summer, I could justify it because we used the pool so much. Now I'm enjoying it and don't want to give it up for the fall. I talked with Matt and we decided that I could use some of my piano money for my gym membership. I thought that was fair. He always tells me to find something I enjoy and spend my money on myself. I enjoy exercising and swimming, so I agreed!
I earned $60 a month teaching piano lessons and that covered my membership. The kids were another $60. So, we were good to go...Until I learned that my piano student will not be taking lessons past August. :( She was one of the best students I have had, but due to scheduling, they weren't able to make it work out anymore.
So my next thought was that I can go back and substitute teach. Then I could earn the whole gym membership fee amount in one day. I haven't subbed in two years and the lady at the subdesk at OPS was not happy about that when I talked to her last spring. Last fall (2010), I got a letter in the mail that if you did not sub 3 times per semester for that school year, your name would be deactivated off the sub list, which I thought was fair. I didn't really have a desire to sub last year. I was nursing a baby and had other kids to chase. So I thought I would be taken off in May.
In the spring, I talked to the sub desk's assistant and she asked if I would like to stay on for the fall and I said yes! Then about a month later, I talked to the lady who runs the sub desk and she said "You haven't subbed for two years. I don't have time to deal with you. I have people who will sub for me everyday." After some hesitation, she agreed to give me one last chance until December, so all summer, I had assumed I was on the list yet. (Apparently these two ladies never communicated either!)
I emailed this lady yesterday because I am ready to sub again and she informs me that I have been deactivated from the sub list! In her email she wrote that they had tried to contact me, but due to no response, they kicked me off! What??? And therefore, I would need to reapply to get back on! I wrote her an email back and said, "No, I talked to you and you said I was going to stay on." I never heard back from her. I think she told me I could stay on, didn't make a note of it, then took me off. Kind of makes me mad.
So, no piano lessons and no sub jobs. Honestly, I wish there was a quick sort of way to make money to help pay for the gym membership. But I also feel so overwhelmed this fall, that I don't want to pick anything else up. Heck, I'm going to be homeschooling for 3-4 hours a day, plus taking care of the other kids and the housework. The gym does me a world of good, but it isn't cheap.
I guess could pick up another piano student or I could reapply to sub, maybe Millard would actually hire me. Or maybe I could go give platelets- haha, I don't have any of those. Maybe I could be a food tester, maybe I could consign a whole bunch of clothes and make some money. maybe I could teach somebody else's kids along with mine...maybe the possibilities are endless...
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
She's going back to public school!
This is how I felt after we had our schooling session this morning. It was a disaster!
Yesterday I moved all Megan's books to the kitchen desk cupboard, so now we are going to school in the kitchen. We had just had breakfast and I thought it would be a great time to do school this morning.
I thought I would have Courtney work on her preschool books while I worked with Megan. After getting mad at me because she couldn't find her books, she did join us at the table. Note to self- next time when she sits with us, direct her to pages she can work herself. I felt like a tennis match, I would work with Megan, then back to Courtney, then back to Megan, then back to Courtney. Plus don't forget that whenever I am working with one, the other one interrupts. It did not go well!
Oh and don't forget Christian in the middle of all this. Mr. "I will only play by myself for 20 minutes and then I need to hang all over mommy because she's not giving ME any attention AT ALL!!"
Then there was Megan. The one who is SUPPOSED to be learning in the middle of all this. She tried, but after 25 minutes, she was bored. And out of her chair ready to go play.
I was ready to pull my hair out and say forget it all!
So then we went upstairs to take baths/ showers and that was a disaster too. I was about done with all three by 10 am!
Ok, so once I calmed down, things got better. This is why we are starting slow. To figure out what works and what doesn't.
When Matt got home, I talked to him about what happened. He says I should just put Christian in his pack n play while I am teaching Megan and he just has to get used to it. Crying or not. As for Courtney, I can give her something to do that she can do herself. Ok, we'll try it again tomorrow!
(And no, she's not going back to public school. 2nd semester maybe. :)
Yesterday I moved all Megan's books to the kitchen desk cupboard, so now we are going to school in the kitchen. We had just had breakfast and I thought it would be a great time to do school this morning.
I thought I would have Courtney work on her preschool books while I worked with Megan. After getting mad at me because she couldn't find her books, she did join us at the table. Note to self- next time when she sits with us, direct her to pages she can work herself. I felt like a tennis match, I would work with Megan, then back to Courtney, then back to Megan, then back to Courtney. Plus don't forget that whenever I am working with one, the other one interrupts. It did not go well!
Oh and don't forget Christian in the middle of all this. Mr. "I will only play by myself for 20 minutes and then I need to hang all over mommy because she's not giving ME any attention AT ALL!!"
Then there was Megan. The one who is SUPPOSED to be learning in the middle of all this. She tried, but after 25 minutes, she was bored. And out of her chair ready to go play.
I was ready to pull my hair out and say forget it all!
So then we went upstairs to take baths/ showers and that was a disaster too. I was about done with all three by 10 am!
Ok, so once I calmed down, things got better. This is why we are starting slow. To figure out what works and what doesn't.
When Matt got home, I talked to him about what happened. He says I should just put Christian in his pack n play while I am teaching Megan and he just has to get used to it. Crying or not. As for Courtney, I can give her something to do that she can do herself. Ok, we'll try it again tomorrow!
(And no, she's not going back to public school. 2nd semester maybe. :)
Monday, August 22, 2011
Trial Run
Today, I attempted to get through half of the first days assignments for homeschool.
I'm not saying that we achieved everything I wanted the way I wanted it, but we didn't fail either.
We got through everything I wanted, but it was kind of crazy.
Lessons I learned on day #1.
1. Three kids plus mommy in the playroom.
Ok, 3 kids plus mommy plus all toys in playroom.
We're going to homeschool on the kitchen table from now on! There is not enough room for us in there.
2. Courtney did really good. She did her own thing, only interrupted us a few times. I really thought she would scream for attention or want me to work with her, but she was great.
3. Christian was the problem!! He does not like it when you give anybody else your attention, and this included Megan today. He wouldn't play with any toys and all he wanted to do was climb on me. I finally had to quit teaching Megan to take care of him! Seriously! He wasn't really into everything, but just couldn't occupy himself.
4. Megan did great! She loved Bible class. We did math today and read in her reader. She also had quiet reading time while I was playing outside with Courtney and Christian. We started to read her history lesson, but got interruped. We need to do some read-alouds and language arts tomorrow. At the kitchen table! We did history at the kitchen table and Christian just seemed much happier because he had so much more room to run.
5. It might be a great idea to drop Courtney off for preschool and then come right home and do school with Megan. I would be down to 2 kids, so only Christian would need to entertain himself.
We'll see. I like going to the gym in the mornings because they have all their group and kids classes.
I need my social time too. :)
We'll try again tomorrow. I can't get so frustrated, it was just the first day!
I'm not saying that we achieved everything I wanted the way I wanted it, but we didn't fail either.
We got through everything I wanted, but it was kind of crazy.
Lessons I learned on day #1.
1. Three kids plus mommy in the playroom.
Ok, 3 kids plus mommy plus all toys in playroom.
We're going to homeschool on the kitchen table from now on! There is not enough room for us in there.
2. Courtney did really good. She did her own thing, only interrupted us a few times. I really thought she would scream for attention or want me to work with her, but she was great.
3. Christian was the problem!! He does not like it when you give anybody else your attention, and this included Megan today. He wouldn't play with any toys and all he wanted to do was climb on me. I finally had to quit teaching Megan to take care of him! Seriously! He wasn't really into everything, but just couldn't occupy himself.
4. Megan did great! She loved Bible class. We did math today and read in her reader. She also had quiet reading time while I was playing outside with Courtney and Christian. We started to read her history lesson, but got interruped. We need to do some read-alouds and language arts tomorrow. At the kitchen table! We did history at the kitchen table and Christian just seemed much happier because he had so much more room to run.
5. It might be a great idea to drop Courtney off for preschool and then come right home and do school with Megan. I would be down to 2 kids, so only Christian would need to entertain himself.
We'll see. I like going to the gym in the mornings because they have all their group and kids classes.
I need my social time too. :)
We'll try again tomorrow. I can't get so frustrated, it was just the first day!
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Preparation!
I am going to start 1/2 time homeschooling tomorrow. I think Megan is ready to get started and so am I! I am going to take one days worth of lessons and split it up between two days for the next two weeks or so. Kind of start us slow. This way, when we are ready to go full force the week of September 6th, we'll be prepared. I also want to get homeschooling established at home before we start schooling outside of the home.
Subjects ready to go:
Handwriting- found one of megan's old handwriting books that she got a couple of years ago. I divided the book into lessons, ripped the pages out of the book (thought it would be too hard to practice in the book), 3 hold punched them, and put them all in a binder.
Math- have 2 workbooks and teacher manual. Have supplies I need for first couple of days.
Bible, language arts, reading, world history, spelling- this is one complete package with Sonlight curriculum, so lessons are all ready for me. I am trying to get a timeline put together and figures copied so she can put them on her timelines as we study them. This is what I am using for a timeline: http://www.guesthollow.com/homeschool/history/timeline.html I don't have enough wall space to put one around the room, but I think this will do. I might make a little one to put up on the wall, just so Megan can see how BC and AD work.
For every chapter book we read together, there are new vocabulary words and questions in the teacher's guide. I want to type these out so Megan can see them while we read. (Or is this MY learning style coming out??). I need to look at what we're doing tomorrow.
Science- Have the book, but haven't done lesson plans yet. Not sure if we're going to do science everyday, once a week, or twice a week. The book only has 150 pages, so it won't take us long. I might have to do some supplementing or get another book.
Health- Same as science. Need to do lesson plans. These two are traditional textbook format, they will work, but not what I envisioned. I kind of wish I would've ordered Sonlight for science, but I didn't. I didn't want to get in over my head the first year with everything, but this almost looks like it's too little.
Art- taking up at Aldrich!
Music- Haven't put it into the schedule yet. I would like to do music once/ twice a week. Not sure if we're just going to learn piano or if I should get some music curriculum. The class at Aldrich is not going to work out for now.
PE- I think ballet counts as PE. :) No, really, I would like to get her into a PE class that is with other kids and structured. The PE class at Prarie Life is at 1 pm, which is not so ideal, but they do have "rec club" in the evening and on Saturdays. This is the same as what they do in the homeschool PE class. Maybe I can take her to those.
Subjects ready to go:
Handwriting- found one of megan's old handwriting books that she got a couple of years ago. I divided the book into lessons, ripped the pages out of the book (thought it would be too hard to practice in the book), 3 hold punched them, and put them all in a binder.
Math- have 2 workbooks and teacher manual. Have supplies I need for first couple of days.
Bible, language arts, reading, world history, spelling- this is one complete package with Sonlight curriculum, so lessons are all ready for me. I am trying to get a timeline put together and figures copied so she can put them on her timelines as we study them. This is what I am using for a timeline: http://www.guesthollow.com/homeschool/history/timeline.html I don't have enough wall space to put one around the room, but I think this will do. I might make a little one to put up on the wall, just so Megan can see how BC and AD work.
For every chapter book we read together, there are new vocabulary words and questions in the teacher's guide. I want to type these out so Megan can see them while we read. (Or is this MY learning style coming out??). I need to look at what we're doing tomorrow.
Science- Have the book, but haven't done lesson plans yet. Not sure if we're going to do science everyday, once a week, or twice a week. The book only has 150 pages, so it won't take us long. I might have to do some supplementing or get another book.
Health- Same as science. Need to do lesson plans. These two are traditional textbook format, they will work, but not what I envisioned. I kind of wish I would've ordered Sonlight for science, but I didn't. I didn't want to get in over my head the first year with everything, but this almost looks like it's too little.
Art- taking up at Aldrich!
Music- Haven't put it into the schedule yet. I would like to do music once/ twice a week. Not sure if we're just going to learn piano or if I should get some music curriculum. The class at Aldrich is not going to work out for now.
PE- I think ballet counts as PE. :) No, really, I would like to get her into a PE class that is with other kids and structured. The PE class at Prarie Life is at 1 pm, which is not so ideal, but they do have "rec club" in the evening and on Saturdays. This is the same as what they do in the homeschool PE class. Maybe I can take her to those.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
A Little Math pre-test and fall schedule
Yesterday I got a little frustrated with Megan and Courtney picking on each other (by 9 am), so I decided to do some schooling with Megan. I figured, if you're picking on your sister, you obviously need something to do. (but of course, I don't want to punish Megan by making her do schoolwork).
So I started looking through her math books and at the beginning was a readiness test for 2nd grade. If you scored 70 out of 100, then you were ready for 2nd grade. If not, back to 1st!!
There is no way I would take her back to first, but I was really curious how she would do.
I went and made copies of it and sat her down at her table. In the meantime, she is crying and saying, "I don't want to do math. I want to play." But I kept saying in a positive, encouraging voice that I want to see how she does. I want to know if she's ready for 2nd grade.
She pushed the papers away, cried some more, glared at me, obviously she did not want to do this! I asked Courtney to get me a book and I read her a book while Megan did it (ignoring Megan and hoping she would get busy). Eventually, it worked and she got busy! It took her a half an hour to do this pre-test, it was 4 pages long. By the end, she had a smile on her face and I think she enjoyed it. Math was her favorite subject last year.
Anyway, I went to grade it and she scored 71 out of 100. There was a whole section she didn't know what to do, this was 16 points. This section was of double digit addition, such as 33 plus 79, where you carry the one. I think she could've done it if it was 22 plus 33. I really don't think she did this is 1st grade, so I let her by. :) On the rest of the test, she just missed a few here and there, like she mixed up her greater than and less than signs or she counted some money wrong. Just little things that if she would've concentrated more, she would've gotten right.
I was pleased that by the end, she was not so angry at me because this is what school is going to be like.
I would call this our first "homeschool" session, but there are other things I learned about it.
1. While I was reading to Courtney, I think Megan got distracted, so maybe for tests, I should put her in another room. But she will feel leftout in that room, but we need to find something that will work.
2. Christian was ALL OVER THE PLACE. At one point, I looked at him and he had stood up on a chair! He was constantly in the art supplies- scissors, glues, markers! Even after I blocked them with a chair, he crawled under the chair to get to them! He wanted nothing to do with the toys. I am definitely going to have to rearrange the room and get some cars in there.
3. I think while Megan is doing math or any other subject, I need to get Courtney a little bit of homework to do too. Courtney is going to lose her playmate for a couple hours a day, so she will probably feel left out, BUT I don't want to spend my time working with Courtney. This is schooling for Megan. I will need to find a balance here!
I am still figuring out my fall schedule. I think I am going to sign up for swimming lessons on Wednesdays from 5-5:30. Then we would need to eat supper (take sack lunch along) and get to church for AWANA by 6:35 or so. I think we can do it. Swimming lessons are for 11 weeks. I just don't want to be busy on yet another evening.
I might also opt out of MOPS for the fall. Most homeschooling parents take Fridays off and do something with their kids. These are groups that I really need to connect with and with MOPS being on Fridays, I can't really do this. I also joined MOPS for "Me" time, but I get enough of that at the gym. I just need to figure out if I can sell my membership to somebody else. I would also need to find a babysitter for Megan every other Friday since they don't have a homeschool classroom. I can make it work, but I can't do everything this fall.
I'm going to try to get everything put together so we can start homeschooling on Monday. Megan told me yesterday that she wants to start on Labor Day again, but I think we just need to get started!! Mama's the teacher, let's go!
So I started looking through her math books and at the beginning was a readiness test for 2nd grade. If you scored 70 out of 100, then you were ready for 2nd grade. If not, back to 1st!!
There is no way I would take her back to first, but I was really curious how she would do.
I went and made copies of it and sat her down at her table. In the meantime, she is crying and saying, "I don't want to do math. I want to play." But I kept saying in a positive, encouraging voice that I want to see how she does. I want to know if she's ready for 2nd grade.
She pushed the papers away, cried some more, glared at me, obviously she did not want to do this! I asked Courtney to get me a book and I read her a book while Megan did it (ignoring Megan and hoping she would get busy). Eventually, it worked and she got busy! It took her a half an hour to do this pre-test, it was 4 pages long. By the end, she had a smile on her face and I think she enjoyed it. Math was her favorite subject last year.
Anyway, I went to grade it and she scored 71 out of 100. There was a whole section she didn't know what to do, this was 16 points. This section was of double digit addition, such as 33 plus 79, where you carry the one. I think she could've done it if it was 22 plus 33. I really don't think she did this is 1st grade, so I let her by. :) On the rest of the test, she just missed a few here and there, like she mixed up her greater than and less than signs or she counted some money wrong. Just little things that if she would've concentrated more, she would've gotten right.
I was pleased that by the end, she was not so angry at me because this is what school is going to be like.
I would call this our first "homeschool" session, but there are other things I learned about it.
1. While I was reading to Courtney, I think Megan got distracted, so maybe for tests, I should put her in another room. But she will feel leftout in that room, but we need to find something that will work.
2. Christian was ALL OVER THE PLACE. At one point, I looked at him and he had stood up on a chair! He was constantly in the art supplies- scissors, glues, markers! Even after I blocked them with a chair, he crawled under the chair to get to them! He wanted nothing to do with the toys. I am definitely going to have to rearrange the room and get some cars in there.
3. I think while Megan is doing math or any other subject, I need to get Courtney a little bit of homework to do too. Courtney is going to lose her playmate for a couple hours a day, so she will probably feel left out, BUT I don't want to spend my time working with Courtney. This is schooling for Megan. I will need to find a balance here!
I am still figuring out my fall schedule. I think I am going to sign up for swimming lessons on Wednesdays from 5-5:30. Then we would need to eat supper (take sack lunch along) and get to church for AWANA by 6:35 or so. I think we can do it. Swimming lessons are for 11 weeks. I just don't want to be busy on yet another evening.
I might also opt out of MOPS for the fall. Most homeschooling parents take Fridays off and do something with their kids. These are groups that I really need to connect with and with MOPS being on Fridays, I can't really do this. I also joined MOPS for "Me" time, but I get enough of that at the gym. I just need to figure out if I can sell my membership to somebody else. I would also need to find a babysitter for Megan every other Friday since they don't have a homeschool classroom. I can make it work, but I can't do everything this fall.
I'm going to try to get everything put together so we can start homeschooling on Monday. Megan told me yesterday that she wants to start on Labor Day again, but I think we just need to get started!! Mama's the teacher, let's go!
Friday, August 19, 2011
Are we sick or not sick?
Today after Christian's nap, I put him in his chair and fed him lunch, like always. Except today, he just played and didn't eat. I thought this was very odd. He kept telling me he was "all done" but I kept trying to feed him.
Finally after telling me over and over he was "all done", I said fine and took his tray off to clean him up. I had just put it in the sink and I turned around and he had thrown up all the way down his front! That was the problem!!
He has not thrown up again all afternoon, but he's been cranky and lethargic. I still don't think he feels good, but I'm afraid to give him anything else to eat. What should I do with him?
Finally after telling me over and over he was "all done", I said fine and took his tray off to clean him up. I had just put it in the sink and I turned around and he had thrown up all the way down his front! That was the problem!!
He has not thrown up again all afternoon, but he's been cranky and lethargic. I still don't think he feels good, but I'm afraid to give him anything else to eat. What should I do with him?
Thursday, August 18, 2011
School
It is really wierd for me right now. Everybody is back in school, except for us. The neighborhood is so quiet, there is nobody else Megan's age at the gym, we're kind of in a lull until we meet some other homeschooling families. I had intended on starting school with her on September 6th. I know that's a couple of weeks away yet, but Courtney starts preschool September 7th and I thought we would all start together.
Tonight Megan says, "Mom, can we start school??" I asked her if she was kind of bored and she said yes. She only has her sister to play with and even though they play great together, I think she's ready to start learning again.
I told her we could start next Monday. I think it would do her some good to get going. Honestly, I am anxious to get started too. I want to teach again and I am looking forward to it. I think we are going to be doing a lot of our Bible and language arts in the afternoon when Courtney is around. She will definitely benefit from it and it would be a good reason to practice her verses everyday and work on her letters. Megan will have to do her math, spelling, and writing by herself, but the other subjects- health, science, reading, and handwriting- we can have Courtney right there with us too.
We are also deciding what extra-curricular activities we want to do. I have quite a variety to chose from.
We have already start art class at Aldrich at 9 am on Mondays.
Ballet class is Thursday from 4:15-5.
AWANA is Wednesday night from 6:45-8:15.
I would like to add swimming lessons in there. These would either be Tuesday or Wednesday nights from about 5-6 and I would like Megan to take a PE class somewhere. They offer homeschool PE classes at Prarie Life, but they meet at 1 pm. Right in the middle of naptime. They also offer recreational club classes in the evenings, which I don't really want anything else in the evening. I would also like to get Megan into a music class, but those meet 1-1:30 every Monday and Thursday at Aldrich. Again, right in the middle of nap time. There are almost too many options to chose from! (Honestly, Christian doesn't really nap anyway, so why am I worried??)
Let's don't forget preschool every MWF mornings for Courtney, MOMS Club, working out for myself at the gym, some homeschool support group, plus MOPS every other Friday.
It's going to be a crazy fall!
Tonight Megan says, "Mom, can we start school??" I asked her if she was kind of bored and she said yes. She only has her sister to play with and even though they play great together, I think she's ready to start learning again.
I told her we could start next Monday. I think it would do her some good to get going. Honestly, I am anxious to get started too. I want to teach again and I am looking forward to it. I think we are going to be doing a lot of our Bible and language arts in the afternoon when Courtney is around. She will definitely benefit from it and it would be a good reason to practice her verses everyday and work on her letters. Megan will have to do her math, spelling, and writing by herself, but the other subjects- health, science, reading, and handwriting- we can have Courtney right there with us too.
We are also deciding what extra-curricular activities we want to do. I have quite a variety to chose from.
We have already start art class at Aldrich at 9 am on Mondays.
Ballet class is Thursday from 4:15-5.
AWANA is Wednesday night from 6:45-8:15.
I would like to add swimming lessons in there. These would either be Tuesday or Wednesday nights from about 5-6 and I would like Megan to take a PE class somewhere. They offer homeschool PE classes at Prarie Life, but they meet at 1 pm. Right in the middle of naptime. They also offer recreational club classes in the evenings, which I don't really want anything else in the evening. I would also like to get Megan into a music class, but those meet 1-1:30 every Monday and Thursday at Aldrich. Again, right in the middle of nap time. There are almost too many options to chose from! (Honestly, Christian doesn't really nap anyway, so why am I worried??)
Let's don't forget preschool every MWF mornings for Courtney, MOMS Club, working out for myself at the gym, some homeschool support group, plus MOPS every other Friday.
It's going to be a crazy fall!
Think, Think, Think!!
Today I was almost ready to pull my hair out because of some decisions of my lovely girls. I just wanted to say, "Think, think, think!"
Example one: Megan was getting a little rough with Christian and I had already told her to stop many times, so I put her in the recliner to separate her from him. (This worked for a little bit until Christian came up to her and started egging her on again!). While she was sitting there, Courtney walked by her so Megan stuck out her leg and tripped her!
Next thing I know, Courtney is laying on the ground, holding her elbow, and crying pretty hard. There was a tool box laying beside the recliner and I saw Courtney hit it with her elbow out of the corner of my eye. I looked at Megan, very livid, and said, "Why did you do that??" She responsed with, "I don't know." I sent her to her room. She can't damange anything or anyone there.
After I cooled off and she had some time by herself, I went back up to talk to her about her actions because this is not the first time she has tripped Courtney. I told her she needs to think about her actions because they have real consequences! Like broken elbows!!
Example 2: While Megan was having some time in her room, I went back into the kitchen to finish the dishes. I heard Courtney open the gate on the steps and head up. She's always very good about shutting it so Christian doesn't go up. I knew Christian was over by the steps too, but again, I thougth he was fine. Pretty soon I hear Courtney say, "Mom, come get Christian. He's on the steps." I had assumed the gate was closed and he was climbing the outside of the steps. I go into the living room and he is almost all the way to the top of the staircase and Courtney is at the top encouraging him! She had let the gate open and watched him climb up! Again, she got the, "Why did you let the gate open and let him crawl up?" Her response was, "I don't know." I told that if he would've fell, he could've really hurt himself on the cement tile at the bottom of the steps. I told her, just like I had just told Megan, that we need to think about our actions before we do them!.
Hopefully we will make better decisions tomorrow!
Example one: Megan was getting a little rough with Christian and I had already told her to stop many times, so I put her in the recliner to separate her from him. (This worked for a little bit until Christian came up to her and started egging her on again!). While she was sitting there, Courtney walked by her so Megan stuck out her leg and tripped her!
Next thing I know, Courtney is laying on the ground, holding her elbow, and crying pretty hard. There was a tool box laying beside the recliner and I saw Courtney hit it with her elbow out of the corner of my eye. I looked at Megan, very livid, and said, "Why did you do that??" She responsed with, "I don't know." I sent her to her room. She can't damange anything or anyone there.
After I cooled off and she had some time by herself, I went back up to talk to her about her actions because this is not the first time she has tripped Courtney. I told her she needs to think about her actions because they have real consequences! Like broken elbows!!
Example 2: While Megan was having some time in her room, I went back into the kitchen to finish the dishes. I heard Courtney open the gate on the steps and head up. She's always very good about shutting it so Christian doesn't go up. I knew Christian was over by the steps too, but again, I thougth he was fine. Pretty soon I hear Courtney say, "Mom, come get Christian. He's on the steps." I had assumed the gate was closed and he was climbing the outside of the steps. I go into the living room and he is almost all the way to the top of the staircase and Courtney is at the top encouraging him! She had let the gate open and watched him climb up! Again, she got the, "Why did you let the gate open and let him crawl up?" Her response was, "I don't know." I told that if he would've fell, he could've really hurt himself on the cement tile at the bottom of the steps. I told her, just like I had just told Megan, that we need to think about our actions before we do them!.
Hopefully we will make better decisions tomorrow!
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
10 on Tuesday
Ok, so I haven't blogged in a couple of days. Why not through 10 things together on Tuesday?
(It is Tuesday, right?)
1. Matt and I are totally busted! We are only supposed to have our camper in our driveway for 4 days. It's been there over a week. We got a nice letter in the mail today reminding us of our covenance and how we need to move it. Yah, yah, we'll get there.
2. We also got busted for having too long of grass. Really, it may get long here and there, but seriously, it's not like it's a jungle out there. Do people have nothing else to do but complain about our grass??
3. Courtney's birthday is over, but she's still getting gifts. Grandma Mary brought her a polly pocket castle today, which her and Megan LOVE, and Grandma Lu took her shopping tonight for her build-a-bear. Her new bear has hearts all over it so she named it "Hearts." Original, right? Her other build-a-bear is MIA, so that one needs to be found soon so they can be friends.
4. We can certainly tell school has started. Megan has nobody around to play with. We are working on joining homeschool groups, but it might take awhile. I took the girls to the gym the other day and there were other homeschool girls there, but they didn't talk to them. My girls just sat on the side of the gym and told me how bored they were.
5. My house is still somewhat clean from Sunday. Yay!
6. Courtney had a great birthday party. She is officially 5! This is the first party that we did not rent table or chairs. We always rent them and they barely get used. We didn't have many people coming over, so we didn't get any. Of course, people were walking in circles looking for a chair to sit down! I had planned on people sitting outside, but nobody went out there. So much for my plan!
7. I just finished reading Megan "The Long Winter" by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I really love Little House on the Prarie books and would love to read them all! Megan and I read a couple of chapters everyday after lunch and at bedtime. We stopped and discussed concepts and even drew pictures if we needed to. I think she understood it quite well. I'm not sure what we are going to read now.
8. I took Courtney to get her pictures done for her birthday today and they turned out pretty cute! I always like taking my kids to get their pictures done, I always like new pictures on my walls! Tomorrow we're off to writing out thank-yous!
9. Courtney has her 5 year checkup tomorrow. I'm sure she will be fine. I was thinking about getting her two shots tomorrow. She will have to get 4 for kindergarten next year and if we did two this year, we could only do 2 next year. She says she wants to get two tomorrow, but when we get there, I'm sure she won't anymore.
10. I can't believe I haven't mentioned Christian in this entire post! It is so much fun watching him be a boy- I love his car noises! Everything is a car to him. Brooms, pan lids, toys. He pushes everything across the floor and makes vroom, vroom noises. Hilarious! Where do they get this from?? (Side Note, a lady dropped her 10 month old girl off at nursery the other day while we were working in the room and said,"You're going to have a hard time keeping up with her!" I just laughed thinking how it is hard to keep up with Christian! The funny thing is that she sat on Matt's lap the entire hour.)
Off to bed! Hopefully Christian will not be up for 2 1/2 hours like he was last night!
(It is Tuesday, right?)
1. Matt and I are totally busted! We are only supposed to have our camper in our driveway for 4 days. It's been there over a week. We got a nice letter in the mail today reminding us of our covenance and how we need to move it. Yah, yah, we'll get there.
2. We also got busted for having too long of grass. Really, it may get long here and there, but seriously, it's not like it's a jungle out there. Do people have nothing else to do but complain about our grass??
3. Courtney's birthday is over, but she's still getting gifts. Grandma Mary brought her a polly pocket castle today, which her and Megan LOVE, and Grandma Lu took her shopping tonight for her build-a-bear. Her new bear has hearts all over it so she named it "Hearts." Original, right? Her other build-a-bear is MIA, so that one needs to be found soon so they can be friends.
4. We can certainly tell school has started. Megan has nobody around to play with. We are working on joining homeschool groups, but it might take awhile. I took the girls to the gym the other day and there were other homeschool girls there, but they didn't talk to them. My girls just sat on the side of the gym and told me how bored they were.
5. My house is still somewhat clean from Sunday. Yay!
6. Courtney had a great birthday party. She is officially 5! This is the first party that we did not rent table or chairs. We always rent them and they barely get used. We didn't have many people coming over, so we didn't get any. Of course, people were walking in circles looking for a chair to sit down! I had planned on people sitting outside, but nobody went out there. So much for my plan!
7. I just finished reading Megan "The Long Winter" by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I really love Little House on the Prarie books and would love to read them all! Megan and I read a couple of chapters everyday after lunch and at bedtime. We stopped and discussed concepts and even drew pictures if we needed to. I think she understood it quite well. I'm not sure what we are going to read now.
8. I took Courtney to get her pictures done for her birthday today and they turned out pretty cute! I always like taking my kids to get their pictures done, I always like new pictures on my walls! Tomorrow we're off to writing out thank-yous!
9. Courtney has her 5 year checkup tomorrow. I'm sure she will be fine. I was thinking about getting her two shots tomorrow. She will have to get 4 for kindergarten next year and if we did two this year, we could only do 2 next year. She says she wants to get two tomorrow, but when we get there, I'm sure she won't anymore.
10. I can't believe I haven't mentioned Christian in this entire post! It is so much fun watching him be a boy- I love his car noises! Everything is a car to him. Brooms, pan lids, toys. He pushes everything across the floor and makes vroom, vroom noises. Hilarious! Where do they get this from?? (Side Note, a lady dropped her 10 month old girl off at nursery the other day while we were working in the room and said,"You're going to have a hard time keeping up with her!" I just laughed thinking how it is hard to keep up with Christian! The funny thing is that she sat on Matt's lap the entire hour.)
Off to bed! Hopefully Christian will not be up for 2 1/2 hours like he was last night!
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Cleaning witha toddler- impossible!
Today is cleaning day for Courtney's birthday party. It will be a whole day ordeal, espcially with toddler-boy running around.
Already today, I can't seem to get anything accomplished that is under two feet off the ground.
I put the books back on the bookshelf, Christian pulls them off.
I pick up the toys, he gets them back out.
I put the picture albums back on the shelf, he pulls them off.
I put the rubbermaid containers back in the cupboard, he pulls them out.
I turn my back and he is 4 steps up on our staircase (on the outside of them now!).
I help Megan do something and he is standing on the fireplace.
I am dusting and he is pulling things out of the kitchen desk drawer.
Yesterday the girls cleaned the back windows and he was right there putting his fingerprints back on them.
Impossible!!! When is nap time???
Already today, I can't seem to get anything accomplished that is under two feet off the ground.
I put the books back on the bookshelf, Christian pulls them off.
I pick up the toys, he gets them back out.
I put the picture albums back on the shelf, he pulls them off.
I put the rubbermaid containers back in the cupboard, he pulls them out.
I turn my back and he is 4 steps up on our staircase (on the outside of them now!).
I help Megan do something and he is standing on the fireplace.
I am dusting and he is pulling things out of the kitchen desk drawer.
Yesterday the girls cleaned the back windows and he was right there putting his fingerprints back on them.
Impossible!!! When is nap time???
Happy Birthday eve.
It's Courtney's 5th Birthday tomorrow. Don't remind me about how fast she is growing up!
She could be going to kindergarten this year!!
Anyway, we were talking this morning that it is her birthday eve. I said, "You know what we were doing 5 years ago today? Mommy was having contractions while at grandma Dee's lakehouse and daddy was off riding his new jetski!"
Pretty funny, huh? The next day, Matt reminded me, he went off to license his jetski, while I was at home in labor!!! I remember calling him and telling him to come home. He replied with, "I've stood in line for 45 minutes already, I'm not leaving now!" The minute he walked in the door at home, we packed up everything and went to the hospital!
About 2 1/2 hours later, Courtney was born! (That's a post for tomorrow!)
She could be going to kindergarten this year!!
Anyway, we were talking this morning that it is her birthday eve. I said, "You know what we were doing 5 years ago today? Mommy was having contractions while at grandma Dee's lakehouse and daddy was off riding his new jetski!"
Pretty funny, huh? The next day, Matt reminded me, he went off to license his jetski, while I was at home in labor!!! I remember calling him and telling him to come home. He replied with, "I've stood in line for 45 minutes already, I'm not leaving now!" The minute he walked in the door at home, we packed up everything and went to the hospital!
About 2 1/2 hours later, Courtney was born! (That's a post for tomorrow!)
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Back to school already?
It's the first day of school for Millard kids. That means Megan should be going , but she's not.
We got our official paperwork back from the state yesterday that says we are homeschooling. We're in for the year. I also have all her books now, so we could start if we wanted.
I have mixed feelings about today. I think of all the excitement that is going on at Aldrich this morning. The parents, the band, the new backpacks, new classes, hugs from missing each other all summer, the festive atmosphere, pictures of everybody.
But it's not happening today. Megan is staying home and will probably sleep through it all.
Yesterday I was told she was "lucky" that she didn't have to go to school. Is that how I should look at this all? Is she really lucky or is this for her advantage? Is she missing anything by not going to school?
I sometimes wonder what her 2nd grade would be like at school. Since she had the same classroom and teacher for kindgergarten and 1st grade, she would've had a new class, a new teacher, and a new classroom. Who would've her teacher been? Who would've been in her class? What would she have learned from this new teacher? Who would be her new friends?
But I also have to look at what we're doing at home. I'm not second-guessing our decision because I think it is the best one. I don't regret not putting her in school, but if she was in school, I would be down to two kids. You know how much easier it is when you take just one kid out of the mix?? I am kind of tired of breaking up fights and having the girls disrespect each other. I have to deal with this for the next year?? But on the other side, I can continue to discpline them and help them to get along. I am certainly going to need a new game plan when school starts. (Actually I think it will help with Courtney going to preschool and getting some one-on-one time with Megan. I sometimes think they get too much of each other).
I also need to look at this as Matt and I have a huge job ahead of us. We get to educate our child! We can love her all day long and continue to teach her (we're come far on "yes, please" and "no thank you" this summer!). This is such a huge task, but I am excited for her. I want to jump in to these books we have, but half the point of pulling her out was so that she didn't have to go to school so much. Courtney starts preschool on September 7th, so I think we will start then. Why not? I have 160 math lessons, so I figure we need 160 "days" of school. I should really sit down with a calendar and figure our year out- roughly anyway. I am also doing 4 day lesson plans, so we'll see how this all comes together.
It will be a new and exciting year here. A year of transition. I really hope homeschooling works out. 6 months ago, I was set very much against homeschooling. Now, I have come full circle and am excited to get started! I just know that this is something God wants us to do and I feel very confident in our decision. I may need lots of prayer along the way, but I know homeschooling will be a huge blessing in the end!
We got our official paperwork back from the state yesterday that says we are homeschooling. We're in for the year. I also have all her books now, so we could start if we wanted.
I have mixed feelings about today. I think of all the excitement that is going on at Aldrich this morning. The parents, the band, the new backpacks, new classes, hugs from missing each other all summer, the festive atmosphere, pictures of everybody.
But it's not happening today. Megan is staying home and will probably sleep through it all.
Yesterday I was told she was "lucky" that she didn't have to go to school. Is that how I should look at this all? Is she really lucky or is this for her advantage? Is she missing anything by not going to school?
I sometimes wonder what her 2nd grade would be like at school. Since she had the same classroom and teacher for kindgergarten and 1st grade, she would've had a new class, a new teacher, and a new classroom. Who would've her teacher been? Who would've been in her class? What would she have learned from this new teacher? Who would be her new friends?
But I also have to look at what we're doing at home. I'm not second-guessing our decision because I think it is the best one. I don't regret not putting her in school, but if she was in school, I would be down to two kids. You know how much easier it is when you take just one kid out of the mix?? I am kind of tired of breaking up fights and having the girls disrespect each other. I have to deal with this for the next year?? But on the other side, I can continue to discpline them and help them to get along. I am certainly going to need a new game plan when school starts. (Actually I think it will help with Courtney going to preschool and getting some one-on-one time with Megan. I sometimes think they get too much of each other).
I also need to look at this as Matt and I have a huge job ahead of us. We get to educate our child! We can love her all day long and continue to teach her (we're come far on "yes, please" and "no thank you" this summer!). This is such a huge task, but I am excited for her. I want to jump in to these books we have, but half the point of pulling her out was so that she didn't have to go to school so much. Courtney starts preschool on September 7th, so I think we will start then. Why not? I have 160 math lessons, so I figure we need 160 "days" of school. I should really sit down with a calendar and figure our year out- roughly anyway. I am also doing 4 day lesson plans, so we'll see how this all comes together.
It will be a new and exciting year here. A year of transition. I really hope homeschooling works out. 6 months ago, I was set very much against homeschooling. Now, I have come full circle and am excited to get started! I just know that this is something God wants us to do and I feel very confident in our decision. I may need lots of prayer along the way, but I know homeschooling will be a huge blessing in the end!
Monday, August 8, 2011
Why do I put in the effort?
Interesting title, huh? That's my thoughts today on showering!
When we got camping, we shower/ give baths to kids about every other day. Usually we have a limited supply of water and dirty water storage space, so that is one thing we give up. It's fine when you are camping.
This last weekend while we were camping, the girls got a shower Friday night at my parents, Christian, Matt, and I got one Saturday morning in the camper.
No showers Sunday. Why shower when you are going to sweat all afternoon anyway?
Sitting at a parade in 90 degree heat- we were all sweating and we were gross! (And yes, we just came home and went to bed last night!)
Fast forward to this morning. Showers were my first priority after breakfast! Everybody had to get through and get cleaned up. So we did. First Christian, then the girls, then myself.
Let's enjoy being clean for at least a little bit.
Well, until we went swimming at 4 pm and need showers again!
I sometimes wonder, why do I put in the effort??
When we got camping, we shower/ give baths to kids about every other day. Usually we have a limited supply of water and dirty water storage space, so that is one thing we give up. It's fine when you are camping.
This last weekend while we were camping, the girls got a shower Friday night at my parents, Christian, Matt, and I got one Saturday morning in the camper.
No showers Sunday. Why shower when you are going to sweat all afternoon anyway?
Sitting at a parade in 90 degree heat- we were all sweating and we were gross! (And yes, we just came home and went to bed last night!)
Fast forward to this morning. Showers were my first priority after breakfast! Everybody had to get through and get cleaned up. So we did. First Christian, then the girls, then myself.
Let's enjoy being clean for at least a little bit.
Well, until we went swimming at 4 pm and need showers again!
I sometimes wonder, why do I put in the effort??
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Home Again
We got home tonight about 9:30 from our second camping trip in the last two weeks.
This time, we spent the last 3 days camping in Scribner at the Dodge County Fair. I always enjoyed the fair growing up and when I heard you could camp there, I wanted to right away! The campgrounds are new and right on the fairgrounds, so it sounded fun to me.
In theory, it was fun, but I really need to say that they need more family friendly activities during the day. You can only walk through the 4-H building so many times, you can only walk through the goat and sheep barn so many times. And really, am I going to pay $4 for my daughter to ride a rickety old carousel.?No. And there is no way I am paying $20 for a daily pass when I just paid $30 to get into Adventureland!
I will admit though, the nights were full of activity. We caught the end of the truck/ tractor pull on Thursday night. We only got in at 10 pm (yes, 10 pm) when they stopped taking tickets. Tickets were $15 a piece! Crazy for a small town! We ended up being up until 11:30 that night. It was fun, but late. Friday night we spent the night at my parents' house and then last night, we paid $10 a person to get into the demolition derby! I love demo derbies! Too bad my girls don't. They said the tractor pull was more fun and were already complaining 15 minutes into it.
Lucky for my girls, a huge storm was blowing our way in the middle of the derby and I kind of freaked out and got my kids into cover. I saw dark clouds and lighting all over and did not want to be out there with 3 kids. We went and got supper and by that time, it blew over. I was scared we were going to be blown away and not to mention that Dell was in our camper and that could've blown over too! Praise God that it passed us and we just got a few sprinkles!
After the demo derby, they had the Tuff Trucks. I had never seen this before, but the point is to flip your car on it's side. The track officials set up an obstacle course for these cars and they go through it as fast as they can. It was great!! A little concerning for me when these cars looked like they were going to flip on the side, but that just made the crowd roar louder! Another late night, but we handled it.
We are home now and it's 82 degrees in our house and humid!! The camper is all unpacked- again- and I am ready to stay home for awhile. Our next camping trip is in 3 weeks, so we're not sure it the camper is going to stay in our driveway or not.
I hope my kids appreciated the country life. It is a completely different culture than the city of Omaha!!
This time, we spent the last 3 days camping in Scribner at the Dodge County Fair. I always enjoyed the fair growing up and when I heard you could camp there, I wanted to right away! The campgrounds are new and right on the fairgrounds, so it sounded fun to me.
In theory, it was fun, but I really need to say that they need more family friendly activities during the day. You can only walk through the 4-H building so many times, you can only walk through the goat and sheep barn so many times. And really, am I going to pay $4 for my daughter to ride a rickety old carousel.?No. And there is no way I am paying $20 for a daily pass when I just paid $30 to get into Adventureland!
I will admit though, the nights were full of activity. We caught the end of the truck/ tractor pull on Thursday night. We only got in at 10 pm (yes, 10 pm) when they stopped taking tickets. Tickets were $15 a piece! Crazy for a small town! We ended up being up until 11:30 that night. It was fun, but late. Friday night we spent the night at my parents' house and then last night, we paid $10 a person to get into the demolition derby! I love demo derbies! Too bad my girls don't. They said the tractor pull was more fun and were already complaining 15 minutes into it.
Lucky for my girls, a huge storm was blowing our way in the middle of the derby and I kind of freaked out and got my kids into cover. I saw dark clouds and lighting all over and did not want to be out there with 3 kids. We went and got supper and by that time, it blew over. I was scared we were going to be blown away and not to mention that Dell was in our camper and that could've blown over too! Praise God that it passed us and we just got a few sprinkles!
After the demo derby, they had the Tuff Trucks. I had never seen this before, but the point is to flip your car on it's side. The track officials set up an obstacle course for these cars and they go through it as fast as they can. It was great!! A little concerning for me when these cars looked like they were going to flip on the side, but that just made the crowd roar louder! Another late night, but we handled it.
We are home now and it's 82 degrees in our house and humid!! The camper is all unpacked- again- and I am ready to stay home for awhile. Our next camping trip is in 3 weeks, so we're not sure it the camper is going to stay in our driveway or not.
I hope my kids appreciated the country life. It is a completely different culture than the city of Omaha!!
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Another day of packing
I knew this was coming. We were gone all last week and just returned Sunday.
We unpacked the camper.
Today, I have to pack it up again! I dislike packing!!
We are going to spend the weekend back home at the county fair. I am kind of excited!
When we went to Iowa, it took me about a 1 1/2 days to pack. Literally. I can't get much done while trying to keep track of Christian! I can get things packed in the house, but I can't get things taken out to the camper. Since he loves to go outside, he will follow me to the door everytime. Plus I load everything into laundry baskets, take them out, put everything away, and then come back inside for another load. This doesn't work too well with Christian free in the house. He doesn't like his pack-n-play much either, but that just might have to do today!
The girls also want to go to the gym today because there is tumbling class. Honestly, I would like to go to a exercise class too. I'm not sure if this will happen or not. I have some dr. appointments this afternoon, so I need to pack sometime.
It will be done by 5 pm tonight so we can leave as soon as Matt gets home from work.
We unpacked the camper.
Today, I have to pack it up again! I dislike packing!!
We are going to spend the weekend back home at the county fair. I am kind of excited!
When we went to Iowa, it took me about a 1 1/2 days to pack. Literally. I can't get much done while trying to keep track of Christian! I can get things packed in the house, but I can't get things taken out to the camper. Since he loves to go outside, he will follow me to the door everytime. Plus I load everything into laundry baskets, take them out, put everything away, and then come back inside for another load. This doesn't work too well with Christian free in the house. He doesn't like his pack-n-play much either, but that just might have to do today!
The girls also want to go to the gym today because there is tumbling class. Honestly, I would like to go to a exercise class too. I'm not sure if this will happen or not. I have some dr. appointments this afternoon, so I need to pack sometime.
It will be done by 5 pm tonight so we can leave as soon as Matt gets home from work.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
My advice..
For the 2nd time in my life, I have went on trips right after my kids turned a year and were able to wean them on these trips. For the record, Christian is completely weaned! Yay! (As of Sunday night).
Right after Courtney turned one, we went to St. Louis. I remember that the last time I nursed her was on that trip.
I think I nursed Christian one more time after we got home this week.
I think we were down to two feedings when we left, but I didn't want to drop those at the same time, so I gave him a week or so and we were done. It is bittersweet, but personally I am feeling better. I feel that my hormones are levelling off and I am not so anxious about everything.
My advice, if you want to wean a kid, take him/ her out of their environment and they will forget about it.
I will say though that once we got home, he found his pillow in the living room, he brought it to me and wanted up on my lap. I just said, "Christian, we're done nursing. Mommy doesn't have any more milk. Where is your cup of milk?" Christian climbed off my lap and went and found his cup of milk. Easy as that! I love it when it's not a battle! I had Courtney bring the pillow upstairs tonight, so that is out of sight too.
Right after Courtney turned one, we went to St. Louis. I remember that the last time I nursed her was on that trip.
I think I nursed Christian one more time after we got home this week.
I think we were down to two feedings when we left, but I didn't want to drop those at the same time, so I gave him a week or so and we were done. It is bittersweet, but personally I am feeling better. I feel that my hormones are levelling off and I am not so anxious about everything.
My advice, if you want to wean a kid, take him/ her out of their environment and they will forget about it.
I will say though that once we got home, he found his pillow in the living room, he brought it to me and wanted up on my lap. I just said, "Christian, we're done nursing. Mommy doesn't have any more milk. Where is your cup of milk?" Christian climbed off my lap and went and found his cup of milk. Easy as that! I love it when it's not a battle! I had Courtney bring the pillow upstairs tonight, so that is out of sight too.
Ok, I lied.
I admit it. I can't sit down to blog for anything! Between having to chase the baby everywhere and a house that is super messy from being gone all week, blogging is the last thing on my mind...except for right now! Plus I can't get the pictures downloaded for some reason.
Ok, since baby is good on my lap, here are some random thoughts from our vacation.
Things I appreciate about camping for a week
1. NO dishes!! We used paper the entire week except for a few dishes here and there, it was wonderful!!
2. The children had a limited amount of room to make a mess. Not a complete upstairs and downstairs like at home. It took about 5 minutes to clean! it was wonderful!
3. Everybody had to find thier own entertainment. They do this at home, but we usually turn the TV on in the evenings. When we were up in Okoboji at a state park, we couldn't get TV reception. (Ok, so we did end up renting a movie from Redbox for Matt and I), but the kids entertained themselves quite well. They often put a CD in that they brought along and they would dance in the camper. All 3 of them!
4. We did not need to worry about how much we ran the air conditioner or the water. Flat price no matter what!
Things I don't appreciate about camping for a week:
1. Tight Quarters. I think our camper is about as big as our kitchen and with 5 of us now, it can get tight at times. You are either stepping on someone or something.
2. Our table only sits 4, but by Thursday or so, we were putting 3 on one side (Matt, Megan, and Courtney) and Christian and I on the other. Otherwise, Christian was sitting in his chair on the couch or the floor. Poor thing wasn't really eating with us.
3. Limited amount for food. Yes, I think I took all the food we had in the kitchen, but still, when your bread rots in the pantry, you need to go to the store to buy another loaf. We also went through 2 1/2 gallons of milk during the week. Same principal. You run out, you go to the store to buy another gallon. I think we visited walmart 4 times during the week!
4. As for Christian, he did great! There wasn't much he could get into and he has yet to figure out the latch on the door, so we were pretty good most of the week. You could sit on the couch and see him at all times. Unlike at home, where he is pretty good, but you still have to go find him half the time.
5. With 5 people, laundry was a challenge. I had to wash clothes half way through the week or we would've been out of clothes! But of course, Christian has sensitive skin, so I debated whether to buy a big container of free and clear washer soap or just have him deal with it not being free and clear. Actually, we were just going to buy some Tide in the laundry room, but it was gone, but there was a little bottle of soap that somebody had left that I used (Is that technically stealing?), he was fine, so maybe he is over it?
Now to continue to unpack things and get them put away. But first, go feed the baby and get the girls snacks. It must be that time again!
Ok, since baby is good on my lap, here are some random thoughts from our vacation.
Things I appreciate about camping for a week
1. NO dishes!! We used paper the entire week except for a few dishes here and there, it was wonderful!!
2. The children had a limited amount of room to make a mess. Not a complete upstairs and downstairs like at home. It took about 5 minutes to clean! it was wonderful!
3. Everybody had to find thier own entertainment. They do this at home, but we usually turn the TV on in the evenings. When we were up in Okoboji at a state park, we couldn't get TV reception. (Ok, so we did end up renting a movie from Redbox for Matt and I), but the kids entertained themselves quite well. They often put a CD in that they brought along and they would dance in the camper. All 3 of them!
4. We did not need to worry about how much we ran the air conditioner or the water. Flat price no matter what!
Things I don't appreciate about camping for a week:
1. Tight Quarters. I think our camper is about as big as our kitchen and with 5 of us now, it can get tight at times. You are either stepping on someone or something.
2. Our table only sits 4, but by Thursday or so, we were putting 3 on one side (Matt, Megan, and Courtney) and Christian and I on the other. Otherwise, Christian was sitting in his chair on the couch or the floor. Poor thing wasn't really eating with us.
3. Limited amount for food. Yes, I think I took all the food we had in the kitchen, but still, when your bread rots in the pantry, you need to go to the store to buy another loaf. We also went through 2 1/2 gallons of milk during the week. Same principal. You run out, you go to the store to buy another gallon. I think we visited walmart 4 times during the week!
4. As for Christian, he did great! There wasn't much he could get into and he has yet to figure out the latch on the door, so we were pretty good most of the week. You could sit on the couch and see him at all times. Unlike at home, where he is pretty good, but you still have to go find him half the time.
5. With 5 people, laundry was a challenge. I had to wash clothes half way through the week or we would've been out of clothes! But of course, Christian has sensitive skin, so I debated whether to buy a big container of free and clear washer soap or just have him deal with it not being free and clear. Actually, we were just going to buy some Tide in the laundry room, but it was gone, but there was a little bottle of soap that somebody had left that I used (Is that technically stealing?), he was fine, so maybe he is over it?
Now to continue to unpack things and get them put away. But first, go feed the baby and get the girls snacks. It must be that time again!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)